Mother's Day
by Tattered-Petals
Summary: For Alex Blake, after the loss of her Mother and son, Mother's Day seemed as though it would never carry light to it again. But fortunately, she learns that you don't have to be blood to be family.


When Alex Blake had given birth to her son, she thought there would never be another lonely Mother's Day in her life. She thought of the birthdays she'd spend with her son, Ethan, the holidays, how she'd record every little moment they spent together. Pictures to be framed all over her walls, fill her home with love and warmth. How she would forever hold him dear and cherish him.

But sadly, much to her heartbreak, her son was torn from her at just the tender age of nine. The little boy she'd been ready to cherish, who she always would cherish, was cruelly ripped from her grasp. She watched as he grew, saw how he'd look at an older age, pleaded with him to open up his eyes, but that day never came. It was a heartbreak so terribly cruel in nature that had overtaken her. Had sucked the energy out of her form, yet she'd still felt the intense need to be strong. Not just for herself, but for James. James whom she loved, and who suffered just as much as she had. Together they had held on to one another for love and support.

But as the empty house surrounded her, Alex felt the heartbreak overtake her once more. James wasn't home, and she was to suffer alone. She knew he sent his love, no matter how far he might be, but it didn't make things easier. It didn't make the suffering she felt fade, or the pressure on her chest lift. Mother's Day should have been a day of great joy, but she was without a Mother, and without a son. Both had been pulled away from her, and it left Mother's day to be more painful than she ever would have anticipated.

Alex had a mug that was on her coffee table, emitting steam, and she was in sweatpants and one of James' sweatshirts. She lifted her fingers to her temples, and then to the bridge of her nose, she tried valiantly to fight off the emotions that swarmed within her. It was as though the air in the room had grown terribly thick with woe. It wasn't as though she hadn't the time to adjust to what had happened, but some days were worse than others. Mother's Day was one of those days. A day that brought great joy for many, but ached the hearts of others.

She wrapped her arms around her middle, still intent to keep the emotions that swirled around inside of her at bay. She was sure Ethan wouldn't have desired for her to feel such heartbreak, neither would her Mother have. But there were certain things one just couldn't control, the feel of loss was one of the many.

Her cell phone rang, a loud noise that cut through the silence of the room, and even managed to shake the seasoned agent slightly; enough to make a small gasp emit from her lips. She shook her head and quickly tucked her hair behind her ears as she composed herself and reached for her phone. They'd just come back from a case the day prior, but another one would have brought a much desired distraction to her life.

"Blake," she answered, without so much as a glance at the caller ID. The identity was not so important to her at the moment, whoever was on the other line was a needed distraction from her own demons.

"Hey, it's Reid," Spencer Reid greeted on the other line. Alex felt a smile form on her face, one she could hardly conceal. Just the sound of his voice was welcome, especially at that moment. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"Nothing at all, really," Alex promised him, it was the honest to God truth. "I was just...resting. What's going on?"

"Uh...nothing really," the young genius said, and he sounded a tad bit awkward on the other line. Alex awaited patiently for his next words, she could tell from his intake of breath that they were coming. "I was supposed to be in Vegas today, actually. Well, that was my hopes. But with the case and everything...I mean, I could have tried to flown in today and taken Monday off, but believe it or not the flight was booked, and the next one was so late it didn't really seem worth it," he rushed out his words, she had to take a moment to fully process all of what he'd said. "Anyhow, are you doing anything today?"

Alex blinked in surprise at the automatic change of topic. "Like I said, nothing, really. I've just been...around the house today."

"Is James not home?" Spencer inquired.

Alex let out a small huff of a laugh. "I'm afraid not," she replied, and tried to keep her sadness at bay once more. "Just me."

"Oh. Well, in that case, there's this really amazing diner down the road from me," Spencer explained. "They have really good deals on Mother's day; any holiday, really. Did you know the celebration of Mother's Day began in the United States in the early 20th century? It's oddly enough not related to the many celebrations of mothers and motherhood that have occurred throughout the world. Anyway, the diner has really good deals, and I wanted to know if you wanted to come with me?" Spencer inquired. Before Alex could respond, he continued, "They have this AMAZING triple chocolate cake. You've got to try it."

Alex felt a ghost of a smile form on her lips, and something odd warmed her heart. "Triple chocolate cake, huh?"

"Yeah, the best."

"I would love to come with you," she told him. She looked around her empty house, the silence that only Spencer's call had managed to fill. The weight was still on her chest, but it lifted slightly so it wasn't as suffocating.

"Really? Great! Yeah, I'll text you the address. It's really good, I promise," Spencer told her with enthusiasm. She could hear on the other line what sounded like him running around and grabbing his stuff.

"I'll hold you to that," Alex teased softly. She rose from her couch, and lifted her mug to take into the kitchen. She hated to leave a mess in her wake, especially when she'd be the one to have to deal with it. "I do love cake."

"Doesn't everyone? Anyway, I'll text you the address and meet you there," Spencer promised.

"Great, I look forward to it," Alex said softly as her mug clattered into the sink. They hung up moments later, and she gripped the phone tightly in her hand as she felt the vibrations of a new text message come in.

Perhaps Mother's Day wouldn't be so lonely that year.


End file.
